The Greek that is translated as “lay hands on (someone)” in English is translated in Tae’ with “‘He-pressed-down,’ a verb that in former times was used with the specific meaning of ‘to press down one’s hand on a person’s head,’ in order to fortify his soul after a dangerous experience, but in Christian usage came to refer to the gesture made when blessing a person.”
Language-specific Insights
remarkable things, strange things
The Greek in Luke 5:26 that is translated as “remarkable things” or “strange things” in English is translated as “what will be-denied by those who hear it” in Tae’ (version of 1933), “what never yet has happened” in Batak Toba, “things we don’t understand” in Ekari, and “things causing-surprise” in Pohnpeian.
neighbor
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “neighbor” in English is rendered into Babatana as “different man,” i.e. someone who is not one of your relatives. (Source: David Clark)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun, it is rendered as “a person outside of your building,” in Tzeltal as “your back and side” (implying position of the dwellings), in Indonesian and in Tae’ as “your fellow-man,” in Toraja-Sa’dan it is “your fellow earth-dweller,” in Shona (translation of 1966) as “another person like you,” in Kekchí “younger-brother-older-brother” (a compound which means all one’s neighbors in a community) (sources: Bratcher / Nida and Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Mairasi “your people” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Mezquital Otomi as “fellow being,” in Tzeltal as “companion,” in Isthmus Zapotec as “another,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “all people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in most modern German translations as Mitmensch or “fellow human being” (lit. “with + human being”).
In Matt 19:19, Matt 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Luke 10:29 it is translated into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that refers to a person who is socially/physically near. Ixcatlán Mazatec also has a another term for “neighbor” that means “fellow humans-outsiders” which was not chosen for these passages. (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Noongar it is translated as moorta-boordak or “people nearby” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
wisdom
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:
- Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
- Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
- Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
- Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
- Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
- Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
- Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
- Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
- Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
- Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)
- Kako: “heart thinking” (source: Reyburn 2002, p. 190)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):
“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )
See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.
right mind / sound-minded
The Greek that is rendered as “in his right mind” or “sound-minded” in English is translated in the following ways:
- Amganad Ifugao: “his mind had returned”
- Tojolabal: “his heart was sitting down”
- Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “his head was healed”
- Javanese: “with a clear mind again”
- Indonesian: “come to his senses” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Marathi: “come to his cleanness/purity”
- Ekari: “his thoughts having become right”
- Sranan Tongo: “his intelligence having-become clean again”
- Batak Toba: “having-mind”
- Tae’: “settled his mind”
- Balinese: “settled/fixed” (source for this and five above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Mairasi: “had well-split vision” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
- Noongar: “straight inside his head” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “his thinking was proper” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Bariai: “his mind returned back” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
- Kölsch (publ. 2017): “talk reasonable again”
eye of a needle
The Greek that is translated as “eye of a needle” in English (and in many Romance and Germanic languages) is rendered variously in different languages:
- “foot of a needle” (Mitla Zapotec)
- “hole in the foot of the needle” (Guerrero Amuzgo)
- “hole of a needle” (Arabic, Italian, Portuguese, French (also: “eye of a needle”), Japanese, Muna)
- “nostril of a needle” (Piro)
- “mouth of a needle” (Hakha Chin)
- “ear of a needle” (Tedim Chin, German, Tsou, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian)
- “nose of a needle” (Lahu)
- “channel of a needle” (Rawang) (source for this all above: Bratcher / Nida and crowdsourced responses on Twitter)
- “loop of the needle” (Tae’) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
In Warlpiri, needles were not traditionally used, so after much discussion the translation there is “(Does a camel go into) the hole of an ant’s nest?” which uses a more traditional metaphor. (Source: Sam Freney in this article.)
blaspheme, blasphemy
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “blasphemy” or “blaspheme” is translated in various forms:
- Panao Huánuco Quechua: “speak evil of God”
- Southern Bobo Madaré: “break God’s name”
- Loma: “spoil the name of God”
- Luvale: “insult God”
- Pamona and Malay: “slander God”
- Javanese and German: “defame God”
- Tae’: “bring curses (or “calamitous words”) against God”
- Uab Meto: “talk to pieces” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “treat God with contempt”
- Ojitlán Chinantec: “say bad words”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “slander God”
- Tenango Otomi: “don’t respect God with what one says”
- Navajo (Dinė): “say evil about God” (source for this and four above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
- Sochiapam Chinantec: “ugly words about God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
- Q’anjob’al: “that which hurts the high” (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
- Mam: xmayin ti’j Dios or “mockery against him-God” (source: Edward Sywulka in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 54ff. )
- Bacama: “spoil the name of God” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
- Chichewa chipongwe Mulungu. Chipwonge is used to refer to acts or derogatory remarks that dishonor another person. (Mulungu is the Chichewa word for “God.”) (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
ready (prepared)
The Greek in Luke 22:33 that is translated as “(I am) ready” in English is translated as “my-heart is-willing” in Indonesian, “it will be my-inner-being” in Tae’, “I-cause-to-be-willing my soul” in Toraja-Sa’dan, or “with one heart” in Tzeltal.